The Shirvan carpet hub is located in north-eastern part of Azerbaijan
comprising the towns and districts like Shamakhy, Maraza, Aghsu,
Kurdamir, Goychay, etc. Carpets of Shirvan are large in size and have
a high density of knots.
The Shirvan carpets feature busy and elaborate decorative elements in
the shape of highly stylized vegetal ornaments and birds. Normally the
weavers tend to fill up open areas with geometric medallions portraying
animals, birds, trees and insects.
The Shirvan carpet school presents over 30 compositions of piled
carpets. The middle part of these carpets is adorned with an elaborate
fringe comprising several stripes. The Shirvan carpets are generally
known for a warm color gamut, with red, blue, ochreous brown and dark
brownish black as dominant dyes.
The most recognized compositions for piled carpets include
Arjiman
,
Jamjamli
,
Gabystan
,
Maraza
and
Kurdamir
.
The region of Shirvan was
also known for its cut-pile rugs, such as
palas
and
kilim
,
manufactured
primarily in Pashaly and Udulu villages.
Cut-pile carpet works of Shirvan included
chuval
(
sack),
khurjun
(
saddle
bag),
mafrash
(
woven bag),
chul
(
horse cloth), etc.
The Shirvan carpets had a high density (45x45 to 50x50 knots in a square
decimeter) and the pile 3-4 millimeters high.
43